


Through The Lens

by ChasetheSun2



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Ancestors, Canonical Character Death, Implied/Referenced Character Death, It's just happy enough to make the sad parts terrible, Multi, Non-Graphic Violence, Polyamory, Sadstuck, Suffering, camera pov, don't get me wrong this is a Sad Time, implied more like hit in the face with, implied polyamorous relationships, in which the author is a monster
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-15
Updated: 2016-06-16
Packaged: 2018-07-15 05:18:02
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,445
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7209410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChasetheSun2/pseuds/ChasetheSun2
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Otherwise titled; The life of the Signless and his companions, as told through eighteen snapshots; one for each sweep of his life (and one for after).</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

I.

 _[Soft squeaking voices come from a warm wollen blanket. A shifting mass underneath it squirms and writhes, and a soft female voice chuckles, pulling back the blanket.]_  
  
“Did you get lost, little one?”  
  
_[Revealed is a tiny grub, barely a perigee old. Its odd red colour marks it; mutant. And yet, it’s still alive, blinking bright red eyes up, a wide smile revealing teeth as nubby as its horns. It squeaks loudly, takes a few steps – and stumbles over its own legs.]_

“Oops! Oh, pretty thing…are you okay?” 

_[The grub looks up again. It bumped its nose. Tears well up in its eyes and the soft female voice croons gently. The view shifts, rolling slightly, and all that’s left to see is the jade blanket and a pair of bare feet under a dress as they walk further and further away.]_

“Poor thing. Come here, Kankri. I’ll make it better.”

 

II.

 

_[Scuffling noises block out the sound. Soft footfalls echo as a pair of feet under a jade green dress walk to a barely lit part of the cavern. Silence befalls the caves and there’s a clicking noise; suddenly everything is brighter despite the room’s light not having changed.]_

“Kankri? Kankri, dear, are you in—oh!”

_[In the corner of the room lies a small cocoon. The barest silhouette of the small grub glows under the strange bright light. The soft voice giggles quietly, almost hysterical, relieved and worried all at once.]_

 

_III._

 

_[A tiny child is running around, pantsless, and breathless laughter echoes through the cave as the wriggler scampers about. It drags around a jade blanket, giggling and shouting eagerly.The woman’s voice laughs. Everything wobbles slightly, jittering up and down.]_

“Kankri, get back here!”  
  
“No!”  
  
_[More giggling and laughter. The child is swept up close, reaching up tiny, chubby hands and smiling with dimpled cheeks. His wide grey eyes twinkle with amusement as the woman catches her breath. The child purses his lips and makes tiny kissing sounds.]_

“Hi, Mama.”

“Hello, dear. Come on, let’s get you dressed, okay?”  
  
“Okay, Mama.”

  
IV.

 

“….’s that?”

“It’s a camera, dear.”

“What’s it do?”

_[A chubby, dimpled face with wide curious eyes and freckles pushes itself close, so close almost every pore can be seen. He smiles, revealing a missing tooth.]_

“It lets me take pictures and videos of you. So I can always remember what you look like when you’re a little wriggler.”

_[The face pouts, turns away for a moment, looking to the side.]_

“ ’m NOT a wriggler! I’m four now!”

_[The woman laughs, walking over, soft foosteps on stone and dirt. She has a kind face, soft hair. She dresses elegantly and has bright jade eyes underneath the dark grey of her skin. She picks up the child, who squeals, flailing and giggling.]_

“My mistake, little one. You’re my big boy now.”

 

V.

 

“Kankri, stop playing with that.”

“But Mama, why–?”  
  
“No questions, Kankri, not this time. Okay? We have to go now.”  
  
“Mama–”  
  
_[Everything remains black but the sound of scuffling feet and a soft whine echoes. The woman sighs.]_

“I’ll explain to you later, child. Please, just follow me, okay?” 

“…Okay, Mama.”

 

VI.

 

_[The boy’s grinning, flushed face peers up. He looks significantly older, almost a teen; breathless and barely able to control his laughter. The woman’s voice sounds serious. Off to the side, there’s a tall, skinny boy, covered in scars and wearing nothing but a thin burlap rag for clothing. He picks at his clothes with dirty nails, red and blue eyes downcast.]_

“Okay, Kankri. So tell me again what you did.”

“…Snuck into the slave grounds.”

_[More giggling. The smaller boy’s face is alight with mischief, dimples shown off at full force, eyes glittering.]_

“And what did you do then?”

“I stole someone.”

_[The boy looks victorious, pulling the skinny one towards him by the hand, hugging him. The slave boy looks frightened, but despite himself presses into the warmth of the hug. The shorter boy beams at him and the woman sighs.]_

“You’re in so much trouble, young man….After this one gets a bath. What’s your name, dear?”

_[The short boy grins, tongue stuck between his teeth as if he knows he won’t actually get in trouble. There’s too much pride in the woman’s voice. The taller one looks up, bicolored eyes wide with shock.]_

“N-no one'th athked me that before, Misth– Missththhhh….”  
  
“Rosa is fine dear. What’s your name?”

“……..Mituna. Mituna Captor.”

 

VII.

 

_[The woman’s voice is nowhere to be heard. Instead comes soft breathing, slight scuffles as someone shifts impatiently.]_

“Shit….I was sure she was here before? Where…”

_[Everything shifts to an angle before righting itself, now a good five – almost six – feet off the ground. There’s a disappointed huff. A basket of fresh meat is dropped onto the ground, bouncing slightly. Several moments pass of nothing but breathing and soft wind, the trees of the nearby forest swaying slightly. Then– a cracking noise and a sharp gasp.]_

“O-oh, uh….hello? Anyone in there? Hello?”

_[A pair of wild olive eyes glow faintly in the darkness of the forest. A long-haired woman clad only in an olive shirt and what could barely pass as pants crawls out, catlike, sniffing at the meat. She looks up in surprise; snarls, bares her teeth.]_

“Hey, hey, it’s okay. It’s alright. Remember me? I-I saw you, a couple of nights ago…”

_[She’s still snarling. A soft curse and all that can be seen is the boy, now a messy-haired teen, moving his hands in simple sign language. It’s clumsy, but it seems to work; the snarling stops. The boy concentrates on something, eyes wide with wonder, then laughs. He signs something else and another voice, a husky female, responds.]_

“Meulin. What’s yours?”

_[The boy’s hands move again as he slowly but surely spells out a name: K-A-N-K-R-I V-A-N-T-A-S.]_

 

_VIII._

 

_[Soft giggling, hushed voices. The wild-haired woman, now in an equally as wild but clean dress, grins eagerly. The yellowblood shares an excited look with her, then turns.]_

“So, Rosa, we found out where Kanny’s been sneaking off to.”

“Oh, have you now?”

[ _There’s a small tavern of trolls gathered around a stage, lit by a single red light. The boy sits on a stool, looking out nervously, his skin cast in red.]_

“Of course he’d be so dramatic, he’s going to get himself killed one day–”

“Shhh! It’s starting!”

_[The boy’s voice is quiet, low. He’s shaking slightly. The yellow and olive frown at each other, whispering.]_

“I can’t see–”  
  
“I can’t hear!–”  
  
“Hush, both of you.”

_[The crowd shifts, letting them pass; all of them are oliveblood or less. But it’s still a crowd. Suddenly, the boy’s voice is clear; they’re at the front. Seeing them, he lights up, gaining more courage.]_

“…I can’t possibly know how you feel. But I know what it’s like to be scared, to– to run away, to spend your whole life, wondering, why me? Why wasn’t I born lucky? It’s too easy to hate. It’s too easy to be bitter. It takes a lot more courage to stand up, to speak, to educate. This is a world where violence is always the answer. But why? Why turn to guns? Why not listen, instead? Why not try get them to understand? If you listen to your enemy, if you talk to them, get them to listen to you…maybe you’ll see a change. Maybe they’ll finally get the message: We’re not wild animals. We don’t deserve to be slaughtered. We deserve understanding.”

_[Sudden, raucous applause warbles the sound. Everything goes black.]_

 

_VIV._

 

_[That same tavern. Loud music plays and the soft female voice is laughing. The boy and the wild-haired girl are dancing to the beat of drums and fiddle, pure joy on their slightly flushed, tipsy faces. Somewhere off to the side, the yellowblood is whooping and laughing, cheering them on. His lisp is heavier than usual.]_

 

_X._

 

“Shhhh….”

_[The woman giggles softly, padding across what looks like a campfire, to a small tent. She unzips it carefully, making sure the sun doesn’t get in. Inside, the three younger trolls are fast asleep, clutching one another. The boy is in the middle, yellow and olive sandwiching red. They look so tired, so happy in their sleep. The woman backs out and zips up the tent again. The sun glares brightly overhead, everything lit up in bright orange.]_

“Happy 10th, Kankri.”

 

XI.

 

_[The sound of clothes scuffling, shouts of anger and snarling. Everything is tilted, off-kilter, the horizon just slightly askew. The boy holds his hands back even as a larger troll nearly lifts him off the ground, teeth bared. The boy doesn’t look angry, or even upset, just…confused and a little hurt.]_

_[The larger troll lands one punch, dropping him to the ground. He groans in pain, touching his face and coming away red. The larger troll staggers back a few steps, seeing it, and bolts off. The boy’s scared face looms close, eyes wide with fear as he picks up his things. The world shifts and goes black and all that can be heard is the sound of heavy footsteps and heavier breathing.]_

 

_XII._

 

_[The crowd has gotten larger. A sweep of the crowd reveals that even bluebloods have joined the fray, almost a thousand strong. The boy, now with a scar under his eye, smiles nervously. A hand with jade painted nails comes up, cups his face. He leans into it; looks so much older than his twelve sweeps.]_

“I’m so proud of you, Kankri.”

“Thank you, Mama.”

_[He leans in for a hug. The dimples are still there on his cheeks, the freckles under his now red eyes. He looks scared under the excitement. He knows. A soft sniffle comes from the woman and he frowns, leaning in, kissing her cheek.]_

“I’ll be okay, Mama. Don’t cry.”

_[He smiles at her; moves towards the stage. Raucous cheers greet him; it’s enough noise to almost hide a soft sob.]_

 

_XIII._

 

_[Loud music and singing echoes from around the fire, crackling merrily. The olive’s voice is, as always, the loudest. The boy and the yellowblood are dancing and laughing, the olive sitting on a stump and clapping her hands. The soft woman’s voice echoes out and she laughs as the yellowblood dips her boy, the shorter troll’s leg sticking up playfully and they both laugh.]_

 

_XIV._

“What d’you want your name to be?" 

_[The yellowblood looks up, confused, before realising where the boy’s voice was coming from. He grins, lopsided. There’s a lot more scars on his face than there was on the boy’s. His hands play with a stick, sharpening it using his psi.]_

“Dunno. Has to be something cool, doesn’t it, something memorable. Maybe…  The Ψiioniic?”

“That’s way too long.”

“Not the way I spell it.”

_[The world shifts; stares out at the oliveblood, on the other side of the fire. She’s cleaning meat, flecks of blood on her face. Seeing the shift, she looks up, frowning.]_

“What about you, Meu? What’ll your name be?”

“Hm…The Disciple.”

_[Laughter. The girl flushes olive green and sticks up her middle finger, flustered. Several backtracks ensue in which the two others insist that they like it.]_

“So what about you, Kanny? What’s your name gonna be?”

_[Several moments pass.]_

“…Signless.”

_[A snort from the yellowblood, unseen.]_

“That’s the dumbest name I’ve ever heard.”

 

_XV._

 

_[Songbirds sing at sunset. The boy sits at the dying embers of a different fire, stoking it to life for another night. He looks up; smiles wearily, blows someone a kiss. A husky voice giggles. The world shifts, drops to the ground; the oliveblood is in his arms, sharing a soft, desperate kiss. The boy holds her tight, too tightly. She does the same.]_

 

_XVI._

 

_[The crowd is ten thousand strong. There are finned trolls there now. The yellowblood and the olive both stand on the stage, their backs turned to face the crowd. The boy speaks into a microphone; distorts the sound. It’s too close to hear properly. The crowd cheers wildly for him; at least, some do. Off to the side, a smaller, cloaked troll leaves before the man can speak any more.]_

 

_XVII._

 

_[Blackness; screams of anger and fear and snarls from the oliveblood. The crackling sound of lightning before it strikes rips through the air.]_

“Kankri!! Don’t let go, don't—please, don’t–”

“Don’t take him, for the love of god please, take me instead, don’t take my boy I’m begging you–”

“Mama– Mama help me, I don’t wanna die, Mama please! _MAMA!"_ _  
_

__[Choked sobs and pleading are cut off abruptly, followed by a terrified chorus of screams of the boy’s name._ The sound of footsteps gets louder, closer. There’s a crash; everything goes silent.]_

 

_XVIII._

 

_[Soft sniffling sounds echo through the wood cabin, the sound of a creaking ship. The blue-blooded woman in the feathered hat looks surprised, then amused. Behind her, the jade woman is crying softly, still bearing the wounds and dressed in slave rags. She doesn’t look up until she hears a soft click, then her eyes go wide.]_

“N-no, don’t, please–”

“You won’t be needing this anymore. Trust me.”

_[The world tilts and spins wildly as the jade woman gives an agonized cry. A soft splash, the trickle of invading water. Several fish swim by; the world glitches out and goes black.]_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm not sorry


	2. Chapter 2

cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA] [??:??:??]

CC: Look w)(at i found!!  
CC: --VID-EO.mov--  
TA: what  
TA: what even ii2 thii2  
CC: I don't know...  
CC: I was )(oping you could kelp figure it out!!  
TA: thiis2 iis a garbled mess ii doubt ii could ever un2cramble thii2 dii2a2ter  
TA: where diid you even fiind thii2  
CC: My lusus )(ad it just floating around!  
CC: PL-EAS-E???  
TA: ....ii'll 2ee what ii can do.  
CC: YAY! You're t)(e B-EST!!!! 38D

cuttlefishCuller [CC] stopped trolling twinArmageddons [TA] [??:??:??]

...

twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] [??:??:??]

TA: ii2 thii2 a joke  
TA: are you 2eriiou2 riight now  
CC: W)(at???

twinArmageddons [TA] stopped trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] [??:??:??]

...

cuttlefishCuller [CC] began trolling twinArmageddons [TA] [??:??:??]

CC: Sollux?  
CC: W)(at's going on???  
CC: W)(y won't you answer???

cuttlefishCuller [CC] stopped trolling twinArmageddons [TA] [??:??:??]

...

twinArmageddons [TA] began trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] [??:??:??]

TA: do not  
TA: EVER  
TA: 2how thii2 two kk.  
TA: --VID-EO[un2rambled].mov--  
CC: ....W)(at is it?  
TA: ju2t watch.  
CC: ...Oh no...  
CC: Sollux, i'm so sorry...  
TA: dont.  
TA: ju2t dont 2how iit two hiim  
TA: or nepeta or kanaya for that matter  
TA: ii dont ever want two 2ee iit agaiin eiither  
CC: ...I understand.

twinArmageddons [TA] stopped trolling cuttlefishCuller [CC] [??:??:??]

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm a little sorry


End file.
